Joshua Choi ’20

Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA

During the summer, I worked in the Dr. Amy Barczak Lab at the Ragon Institute focusing on studying the pathogenesis of mycobacterial infection with the final goal of improving diagnosis and treatment. Here, I gathered a bank of clinical mycobacterial isolates from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, and identified associations between genomic mutations in those isolates and clinical antibiotic resistance using next generation whole genome sequencing approaches. Through this pilot project, we hope to better understand the evolution of drug resistance in mycobacteria and develop molecular diagnostics for drug resistance in mycobacterial infection.

In particular, I grew cultures of mycobacteria cells in TH9 growth media over various weeks and isolated bacterial DNA using a high-quality genomic DNA preparation protocol which was divided into three parts, each performed on individual days. The concentration of DNA extracted was measured with the Nanodrop machine and stored for genomic analysis. Growing the bacterial cells took some time as mycobacteria require 2-3 weeks to show colony growth. While we intended to run whole genome sequencing—which tags fluorescent markers on nucleotides that formulate the DNA complementary strands—we were unable to access the instruments at the Broad Institute of Biomedical Sciences since they were under long-term use by another facility. Nevertheless, I collected more patient samples from MGH and performed extractions to take bulk sequencing measurements later on.

The Ragon community is both intellectually electrifying with research proposals and breakthroughs and welcoming to students of all backgrounds, ethnicity, and culture. Dr. Barczak, did not assign one of her lab members to get me acquainted with the lab but personally led me through my pilot project and offered full assistance when I reached a roadblock during my experiments. The summer program at the Ragon is comprised of undergraduate students from all over the globe who partake in a sub-project within a lab group. While every one of these students are truly talented and exceptional, Ragon also selected students who were engaging, considerate, welcoming, and open to those around them. While many graduate students become independent in their research and hence their work attitude in the lab, the undergraduate summer students were relatively inclusive, respectful, and social with each other which livened the silent moods during lab meetings.

The Ragon Institute also holds biweekly lunch and dinner talks given by graduate students, post-doctoral candidates, and principal investigators regarding their field of research and current research endeavors. They are very informative and allow students to understand the various approaches of solving the HIV crisis in our globe. In one select lecture by Dr. Galeet, she discussed how the institute is focused on developing vaccinations for HIV because we know that preventative measures are relatively ineffective; contraceptives such as condoms are readily available yet many individuals who are sexually active do not use them, or use them correctly. The psychological motive of not using STD preventative measures during sex is far too powerful to be overcome by many people who actively engage in sexual activity. Hence, we cannot rely on them. One solution yet remains: vaccinations.

I personally agree with the Ragon’s approach to promote public health safety in the long-run. After all, vaccinations are the one true method to ensure safety from HIV since they have been proven to work from multiple sources. There is, however, still controversy on the use of vaccines. Critics are still swayed by the idea of vaccination and its side effects. Other antagonistic reasons may be due to religious prohibition and cultural practices that oppose injection of foreign material into one’s “pure” body.

However, the numbers do not lie. From 2010 to 2015, vaccinations alone prevented 10 million deaths (The Power of Vaccines; still not fully utilized, WHO). Vaccinations also reduce the probability of spreading disease by limiting its ability of transmittance and survival in the given population—reduction is seen in reverse, exponential-fold. Embarking on this summer internship, I’ve nurtured a passion for public health research, one where I can visit nations in great risk of these diseases and run programs to prevent its spread. This internship has also better equipped me with knowledge on tuberculosis mode of attack and methods to develop treatment, all of which is invaluable in my applying for a Fulbright Research Award. I hope to carry my research interest in treating Tb to regions where people are truly in need of its cure. This internship has also led me to realize that the prevalent diseases leading in worldwide deaths arises from aging. In Tb, the infection reveals its true harms upon emerging from the latent to active state when the individual ages, and his or her immunity declines. Nevertheless, I am now interested in tackling the public health issue from the standpoint of slowing down the aging process both at the molecular and macroscale levels.

I want to thank Mr. Robert K. Kraft, Mr. Joshua M. Kraft ’89, and Mr. Jonathan A. Kraft ’86 of the Kraft Family for sponsoring my internship at the Ragon Institute of MIT/Harvard/MGH. I would also like to thank the ’68 Center for Career Exploration for providing this opportunity to further grasp my passion in public health research. This internship has honed my knowledge and expertise in the field of clinical research and Tb awareness, all of which will greatly prepare me for my graduate studies and research abroad. Last but not least, I thank Ms. Dawn Dellea for efficiently coordinating with me and all the other ASIP recipients in receiving their internships.